What it means to me and why.
I became involved in DU in the same way most other people do. I went to a dinner and I won a shotgun. I was hooked. I attended a few more dinners and even dragged a brother or two with me and then the local chapter died out. The chairman at that time had open heart surgery and no one else took the reins to keep the chapter alive. A few years later the Yankee Sportsman's Classic was born. It evolved from a group of guys at deer camp grumbling about the long winters and ended up as a group organizing an outdoor show. The first year I met a couple of fellows at the DU booth and asked them why there was no longer a dinner in St. Albans. They asked it I was interested in getting involved and I said yes. Little did I know what "getting involved" really meant. A few months later I met Phil Warren and we talked about putting on a dinner. My brother Bill and I, along with a couple of other fellows that we conned into helping out had our first DU banquet that September. Last year was dinner number 16.
Last duck season I spent a few hours one evening in the family blind with only myself and my dog. The ducks weren't flying, but it was a beautiful evening as the sun was setting over the decoys. I took some time to reflect on the moment and a flood of thoughts went through my mind. I thought about the fact that I was sitting in the exact place my father had sat many times and where he had introduced my brothers and I to duck hunting. He has been gone now for ten years this September. I remember the time a duck sailed into the decoys and was met by a hail of gunfire and almost escaped unscathed only to be brought down by a one handed sitting shot by my dad, as he couldn't get his other hand out of his pocket and couldn't get up from his awkward sitting position. I thought about taking my son on his first duck hunt in this same blind. We didn't bring home a lot of duck, but I knew the heart pounding excitement that he was feeling, and know that I was as excited as he was being able to share that moment. Had anyone come by at that moment I am sure they would have seen a smile on my face. I realized that moments like that are why I got involved in DU. Many people will never know the pleasures and memories found in a duck blind or a goose field. Seeing a flight of ducks or a flock of geese may only mean that fall is coming for some, but to a DU member is a reminder that we have made a difference. For those that look for those memories and those signs of changing seasons, we need to continue to make these possible through our support of the DU mission.
I was approached a couple of time about the State Chairman seat. I declined. It didn't feel right. I wasn't ready. I was approached again in 2008 and decided, now was the right time. I made it very clear to the leadership that I wanted to have some time to learn the ropes. I will readily admit I was very apprehensive at first. I didn't want to let the organization or the dedicated people down. As I became more involved I realized that the caliber of the people that are involved in this organization is unmatched. The volunteers from the local committee level to the state, regional and national level are some of the most committed people I have ever met. I am very comforted by the fact that my job will be much easier that I thought, with all the support and dedication of the volunteers in VT DU. I look forward to working with you as we continue to support wetlands conservation and full skies for generations to come. My goals include adding some new events, so we may involve people that may not attend a banquet. Getting new people and new ideas involved at the local, state,and regional levels and increasing awareness of the DU mission. We need to excite people, so they want to be involved in the conservation of our wet lands. The limitations are only what we allow them to be.
In closing I want to share a short story.
Raffle idea: A fellow bought a horse from a farmer for $100. On the day of delivery the horse died. The farmer said he couldn't refund the $100, because he had already spent it. So the fellow decided to have a raffle. He would raffle 500 tickets at $2 each. The farmer said "How can you raffle a dead horse?" The fellow said "Easy, I won't tell anyone it's dead." A few weeks later the farmer met the fellow and asked how the raffle went. The fellow told him "Great, I made $998. The farmer asked "Wow, was anyone mad?" and the fellow replied, "Only the guy that won so I gave him his $2 back."
The moral of the story is, that there are many creative ways to raise money to support the ducks, so let's get creative.